Welcome to the
Spokane Folklore Society
Contra Dancing in November The Spokane Folklore Society is hosting two Wednesday night contra dances in November at the Woman’s Club Hall. On
the first Wednesday, November 6 Emily Faulkner from Sandpoint will
share a wide range of interesting contras drawn from her many years of
dancing in New England. Dave and Char Beach will be moving to
Massachusetts next summer so now is the time to enjoy the wonderful
energy of Banna Damhsa any chance you get. The third
Wednesday dance November 20 features our favorite old time band the
River City Ramblers with seasoned caller Nancy Staub. General admission is $10 and SFS members $7. Don’t forget to renew your membership in order to receive a $3 savings at each of these dances. There
is no second Saturday dance this month but instead the Fall Folk
Festival will host three different opportunities to dance to live
music. On Saturday November 9, Nora Scott will offer an
introductory lesson from 6:30 to 7:00PM followed by a ninety minute
contra dance with Banna Damhsa. On Sunday November 10,
Mitchel Frye will teach an introductory English country dance session
from 11:45 to 12:15 followed by an hour of dancing with the Prestwold
Players. Here's a great opportunity to learn more about a dance form
that is a predecessor to contra dancing. Then Emily
Faulkner will offer an introductory session from 2:45 to 3:15PM followed
by a ninety minute contra dance with Reel Friends. These
Fall Folk Festival dances are all free and are a great way to introduce
your friends to the dancing that you love!
Contra
dances on 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesdays of each month are held at the
Woman’s Club Hall, 1428 W. 9th. Dances begin with a newcomer
session at 7:15PM followed by a two hour dance from 7:30 to
9:30PM. 2nd Saturday dances are held at the East Spokane
Grange, 1621 N. Park. These dances begin at 7PM and end at
10PM. General admission $10. SFS Members and college
students $7; kids under 18 are free.
As
a result of a recent poll of SFS members, there will be no Covid
protocols in place until further notice. Good health is
required. Masking is respected.
2024 Fall Folk Festival photos and video samplers are at this link...
Membership Information:
It is time to renew your SFS membership. If
you are joining for the first time, your membership will help to fund
the operations of the SFS. In addition, you will receive $3 discounts
at our Wednesday dances. Also, you will receive our monthly newsletter
as well as any updates and announcements. You can join by accessing the
membership form through the following link. Link for a full year membership Fill it out and mail it
in with a check.
Newsletters Archived on SFS Website
Older editions of the
Spokane Folklore Society Newsletter can be found on the SFS website
starting from September 2020 (link at left). There are some great
articles to read.
Starting in September we added several feature columns to the
newsletters. Please enjoy our Callers Corner featuring articles by all
our regular callers.
Forty Years Ago showcases some of the people and events that were
highlights of the early years and got the SFS started on its path to
success. Penn Pals is a column where Penn Fix interviews people that
have been instrumental in starting and keeping folk traditions alive in
the Spokane region.
Current Newsletter
And now some of our older newsletters are available as well
We can help you get in touch with
other people in the
Spokane, Washington, area who are interested in music, dance, and folk
arts. Find out what's happening
on the calendar
Our major project of the year is
the
Fall Folk Festival.
One of our main
activities with SFS is Contra
Dancing. Contra dancing is a type of traditional
dance from
New England. Dancers face each other in "contra" lines and move up and
down the formation as couples in figures directed by a caller. The
Virginia
Reel is a dance in this style. You don't have to be experienced - the
caller
teaches all the moves. Special clothes are not necessary. No partner is
needed - Singles and couples are invited. Check the calendar
for the contra dance schedule. Click
here more details and some pictures and links to video of a
typical local Contra dance.
If you are interested
in having the Folklore Society help
sponsor your event, please download this .pdf
form
here. (Acrobat reader required)
If this is your first
visit to our site, please read
more about the Spokane Folklore Society: its organization and
mission.
We hope that you will join
us,
and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. 
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